Thirst
by wynn12
Summary: Rukia is worried with her brother after a disastrous outcome of a mission, but he might have a problem she can't solve... or can she? AU but not crackish. Dedicated to Punkykoolkat, for her drawing.
1. Chapter 1

Yes, I am writing my other stories, don't worry. But then I saw this pic and I... had to write this. It's all Punkykoolkat's fault, her drawings are so wonderful and such a source of inspiration to me, and when I saw her last work, I couldn't resist! If you haven't seen it, look for her on deviantart, she has some omg-amazing byaruki pics there! This fic was based on the one "Her Blood". The link is on my livejournal too.

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The news dropped like a bomb over Seireitei – the captain of the sixth squad had been dismissed from his station, indefinitely.

All kinds of gossip had spread in the halls of the thirteen squads, for no one knew for sure what had happened. Stories were told about a recent mission in which he had been injured, and the most popular theory was that he got handicapped in combat – why else would his resignation be accepted? No one had seen him since then, which endorsed the rumors, and there were news of visits of the forth division's captain to the Kuchiki estate.

Even the higher soldiers were unaware of the true reasons or what kind of conversation had occurred between Unohana-taichou and Yamamoto-sou-taichou regarding the sixth captain; the captains and their lieutenants knew quite well that the destiny of those who dared to quit the service of the Court of Pure Souls was the Worm's Nest, and even being a noble, Kuchiki Byakuya must have at least a good excuse.

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To say that Rukia was worried would be an understatement.

Her brother had not addressed her since the day of the accident, but there was nothing new in that. The young shinigami found, however, many indications of his poor health condition.

First, Unohana-taichou had visited him twice. The Forth captain had politely refused to share what had happened to the Kuchiki head, but Rukia could see the concern in her eyes and she knew his late mission had gone wrong in some way. And then he had forbidden Unohana's visits – or any others for that matter.

Second, it was his presence on the meals. Or rather, his absence. It was the only time of the day when they used to meet, and even if they didn't use to talk much, it was reassuring to see him there. Now his place was always empty, and she had asked some servants to take his food to his bedroom, in hopes she wouldn't offend him with her worry. She was not sure if they were successful, though.

It did not seem so – she had met him very briefly two nights ago – he was much thinner and paler than he used to be, and that couldn't be a good sign.

But what really, really scared her were the sounds.

Their bedrooms were close to each other, and as heirs of the clan, they had a wing of the castle only for themselves. Rukia had always found those empty corridors scary when the silence and the darkness covered the mansion at night, but it had gotten even worse since he came back from his mission and those strange noises started.

She couldn't quite define what she heard. She wasn't close enough to identify it, and even if she wanted, she had not dared to go check what was wrong yet. If anything, they were like grunts, and she could easily infer they meant some kind of suffering.

It was the fourth night since he came back, and she was getting increasingly unnerved by the situation. If it was bad enough that he was dismissed from his duties – and Kuchiki Byakuya was _not_ one to run away from his duties – it had to be pretty serious. And worse, if he stopped seeing Unohana-taichou and was still refusing to eat properly, his life was probably in danger.

She knew her brother was too proud and probably didn't want to be seen sick or show any kind of weakness, but Rukia couldn't stand it any longer. Looking at his empty place on the dinner table, she sighed deeply and decided to gather up all her courage and insist with him, until he opened the door and let her check and do something about his health.

With that decision in her heart, Rukia knocked on her brother's bedroom.

No response.

She knocked again.

"Nii-sama?"

Still no response.

"Nii-sama, please," she begged in worry.

After a few seconds, she added "I know you are there."

She could feel his reiatsu flowing behind the door, and she knew he could feel hers as well.

"I am sorry to intrude, but… I am worried…"

"May I… see you?" she asked again, touching his door.

She still could hear no sound, but she continued.

"I heard about the news and… I can't help but wonder… why…"

Her only answer was more silence. Rukia rested her hands and her head on the door, dejectedly.

"You have not received Unohana-taichou," she pointed out after a few moments, almost to herself, thinking.

She was getting desperate with the silence.

"I've been… hearing sounds…" she said, but immediately regretted touching that subject.

"Nii-sama, please. Please, open the door," she knocked again, "Please, let me see you. You haven't eaten well…"

Rukia looked at the door, considering intruding without his permission, but that would be too bold.

"Please, if you're not well-fed, you won't--"

But her words were cut mid-way as the door was opened right in front of her eyes.

Before she could raise her eyes to meet his, he turned around and entered the room again, moving towards his desk.

The room was dark inside, but Rukia understood the gesture as allowance to enter, and so she did. There was only a faint candlelight inside, and as she closed the door, she searched for his figure in the darkness.

He was not on his formal clothing, and his kenseikan laid discarded over the table. He was still standing and not facing her, when she heard him reply:

"As you can see, I am perfectly well. Do not worry."

She inspected his lithe figure and doubted his words. He was indeed, a little better than last time she saw him, but still very thin and pale, more than usual.

"Did you… resign?"

He stood in silence for a moment, then answered:

"I decided it would be for the best. I still have my duties as head of the clan to attend."

"Of course," she answered, still confused by his lack of a good explanation.

"Well, I believe your worries have been sated. You may leave."

Rukia knew a dismissal when she saw one. But she was not satisfied with what she saw.

"Nii-sama… I'm still worried about your health," she didn't know how to start the subject about the accident, since he clearly didn't want to talk about it.

"Unohana-taichou seemed worried, but you--"

"I will not discuss this subject, Rukia."

"Hai. I'm sorry," she apologized bowing.

She knew his silence was yet another order for her to leave. But her worries had not eased in the least, and she hoped she could at least convince him to eat properly to recover from whatever he had.

"Nii-sama has not eaten well," she pointed out, giving a step in his direction. "I am still worried," she added with another step, looking at his figure. She wanted to see his face and how healthy he really was.

"Do not come closer," he said loudly, with a certain urgency.

Rukia was surprised by the strange command and froze in place, eyes wide, not daring to move.

"You have seen me, I am well. Now leave," he ordered again.

Rukia was still staring at him, and she noticed he was trembling. She saw his fists clenching.

"Leave!" He commanded harshly. His whole body was shaking then.

Rukia moved to him, instead, in desperation. "What's wrong with--"

But before she could finish her words, she was roughly slammed against the wall.

She closed her eyes in pain, and as she opened them, she was surprised to see her brother very close to her face, eyes shut in a grimace, his both hands on each side of her head, trapping her, and most importantly: two fangs coming out of his mouth.

"You… need… to learn… to obey… an order…"

"…Rukia." The last word came out without the struggle of the previous ones, and she saw his eyes opening calmly, a red tinge in them.

And the rest was too fast for her to see.

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So, I'm not really sure where this is going, though I do have some ideas... I'm not even sure if I'll continue it, do you want me to? If yes, please leave me a scrap saying so. With so many vampire stories out there (twilight, trueblood) I am afraid of it being boring, so idk. I honestly just wanted to write it for her drawing, since it was the story that came to my mind when I saw it. But who knows? Plz review and let me know what you think/want!

Wynn

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	2. Chapter 2

Hello dear readers! First of all, I would like to apologize for so many months without a single chapter. Let's just say that life can get… surprising sometimes. And insane. Gomen ne? u.u

Anyways, without further ado, chapter 2. I hope you like it, please let me know your opinion. I hope to post some chapters of my other fics soon too. See ya!

Also, for those who don't know: osake/sake = japanese beverage

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_And the rest was too fast for her to see._

In a quick movement, faster than the eyes can see, he was on her neck and the next thing Rukia noticed, he had thrust the fangs on the left side of it. She barely had time to feel the pain, though, for as soon as it started, it was overcome with the most pleasurable feeling she had ever felt.

A sensation of inebriation took her over. She felt very dizzy - a stupor similar to the last time she tried osake - and instantly relaxed in his arms. It was very hard to think or concentrate in anything. A small voice on the back of her mind seemed to be alarmed, but it was hard to hear it and very easy to ignore it.

Rukia knew what he was doing, she knew what those fangs meant, but for some reason surprise, fear or worry were the last things to cross her mind at that moment. She could barely think at all…

…It didn't matter. Anything else matter, actually, only that sensation, that delicious, sensual feeling of being trapped by him as he grabbed her hair and fed on her… she could hear him panting against her neck, feel his warm breath touching it, smell him from so close - all her senses seemed to have gone into a frenzy of delirious sensations and the last thing she wanted was for it to stop…

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_He had to stop. He had to stop or he was going to kill her._

That was the first coherent thought he had after a considerable amount of blood.

It was extremely difficult. No, that word would not start to describe it. Byakuya could feel her very essence filling his pores, her taste on his tongue, the many scents, of her blood, her skin and her arousal all mixed, tingling his nostrils, making it all much worse. This was completely different from the disgusting animal blood he had tried in the previous night, in hopes to sate this terrible thirst. It had helped, somewhat, and he thought he would have willpower enough to resist her… but this… this was completely… unexpected.

Nothing could compare to this, to the satisfaction of the thirst, the hunger, of any kind of desire he could ever feel. He closed his eyes, lost in the feeling.

_Stop it. It's Rukia! Stop it._

She had relaxed in his arms, not even a hint of resistance. By the looks of it, she was enjoying it… very much.

_Prey._

He sank his fangs a little deeper, and closed his eyes in despair and satisfaction.

She was growing paler and nearly fainting, and he knew he had to stop… now.

_He had to._

_He had to._

_He was going to lose her._

_Forever._

_Rukia._

_Never again…_

His fangs retreated and he held her as she fainted in his arms.

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Rukia opened her eyes slowly, blinking at the candlelight in front of her. The first thing she noticed was that she was not on her bed, and as soon as that thought hit her, all the memories rushed back and she sat up quickly, searching for her brother's figure in the faint light.

She was met by a pair of dark grey eyes inspecting her intently from the other side of the bedroom. He did not approach her.

Words failed her as she tried to find something to say, but his voice got her attention.

"Are you well?" His frowned, serious face showed concern, but his voice was steady as usual.

"Uh… yes," Rukia answered, uncertain.

Unconsciously, she touched the left side of her neck, but felt no scars.

"Eat," he ordered, indicating the bedside table. Rukia found a silver plate filled with food over it.

She was not feeling hungry, only very tired, but she did not dare to disobey. Getting closer, she got the _hashi_ and started to eat in deep thinking.

What could she possibly say in a situation like that? There she was, laying on her onii-sama's bed after… that.

_How? Why? What now?_ Rukia frowned, a thousand questions filling her mind, but she did not dare to ask or even look at him, her eyes fixed on her plate. All the questions vanished, though, as soon as she remembered that feeling… the mere thought made her cheeks blush red and her heart beat faster, and she should not, could not, did not want to think about it. She was afraid he could notice her embarrassment from the other side of the room.

The silence was excruciating, even more than usual, but at least it seemed slightly more tolerable with the fortunate excuse of the food, so she kept chewing, avoiding the unavoidable. But her stomach did not feel well and soon she had to stop.

He looked displeased at her.

"Are you finished?" His voice was firm and cold as usual, and it seemed like nothing unusual had happened that night.

"Yes, nii-sama. I apologize, I am not hungry," she excused herself, not knowing how to approach the many puzzles in her head.

"Go back to your bedroom, then," he commanded with no further words.

Rukia looked at him, not wanting to believe he was simply dismissing her like that with no further explanation for what had occurred. He was even more serious than usual, if that was possible and she felt discouraged about starting the subject.

Trying to find a way to inquire him, Rukia stood up. Immediately she saw black dots consuming her vision and her legs refused to obey her, her hands quickly trying to reach anything for support.

In a glimpse, Byakuya caught her in his arms before she could hit the floor. He felt her scent filling his nostrils, bringing with it memories and temptation, and an instant, fierce impulse trying to take over. He briefly closed his eyes, concentrating on controlling it as he felt his fangs threatening to come off. Taking a deep breath, he straightened himself with Rukia in his arms and looked at her innocent face, glad that he was able to control it this time. Her scared eyes helped him reinforce his will, but he knew the recent feeding was helping on that too.

Without further delay, he started to take her to her bedroom.

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Rukia was unsure of what to say as he carried her on his arms through the dark corridor until her room. He had a stern, taciturn semblant and was averting her eyes.

Should she apologize? She knew it was her fault for intruding like that when he clearly did not want her to, and worse, for disobeying when he told her to leave. Yes, he was surely angry at her for that, and she agreed she had been impertinent. But should she bring it up? He seemed oblivious to her and unwilling to engage in any type of conversation, or even acknowledge her presence in his arms. Not that such behavior was unusual for the lord of the Kuchiki clan, but after what happened, it felt slightly unsettling for him to not even grant her any explanation. He was acting as if nothing had happened at all. Could it have been just a dream? Rukia wondered confused, touching her neck again.

Byakuya graciously deposited her on her bed and moved away from her, while Rukia watched her figured in the mirror on the front wall. The perfect skin on her neck showed no marks at all. She blinked, looking at her brother who was now at the door.

"You should not concern yourself with my well-being. Do not come looking for me. We should not see each other from now on," Byakuya said with a final tone, closing the door behind him.

For some reason it was much harder to contain his inner beast around Rukia than it had been with the servant earlier, he concluded. He did not know why, but he could not put her life in jeopardy. It was better like that – he knew he would be a menace to everybody, and especially her, until he was able to subdue it completely.

Rukia stared blankly at the door, trying to understand his words and the facts. As she started to undress to change her kimono for sleeping clothes, she spotted something in the white fabric of her inner clothing – a brownish red stain of... dried blood.

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Aaaand that is all for now. ;) Now please be nice and tell me what you think, the reviews really make me write more. But please be gentle, I know I am rusty. -_-' Anyways, see ya! =)


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